Vacuum-tank and water-lifter



No. 625,882. Patented May 30, I899.

L. L. GROSS.

VACUUM TANK AND WATER LIFTER.

(Application filed July 12, 1896.

Z Sheets-Sheat I.

(No Model.)

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No. 625,882. Patented May 30, I899; L. L. GROSS.

VACUUM TANK AND WATER LIFTER.

(Application filed July 12, 1898,)

2 Sheets-Shea 2.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC LUDWIG L. GROSS, OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA.

VACUUM-TANK AND WATER-LIFTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,882, dated May 30,1899.

Application filed July 12, 1898. Serial No. 685,750. (No model.)

To wZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,LUD WIG L. GRoss,a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing in Petalu ma, county of Sonoma, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Vacuum-Tanks and Water-Lifters; and Ihereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and cxactdescrip tionof the same. 1

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed for the purposeof filling tanks with water or other liquid or semiliquid which can bedrawn into the tank by vacuum and to a means for producing a vacuumWithin the tank.

, It also comprises details of construction, which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a longitudinal section through my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a section online 0000 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section through the charging device.Fig. 4is a detail of the tilting-rod.

The tank A may be made of any suitable form and of material, such assheet metal, which will sufficiently resist the explosive effects to beproduced within it. Upon the top of the tank are large openings H, withinwardlyclosing valves which are normally closed, but which will beopened by the force of the explosion to allow the escape of the gasesproduced thereby. These valves close immediately afterward, so that thesubsequent contraction and the absorption of the gases in the tank willproduce a vacuum, and this acts to draw water into the tank through aninletpassage J ,havin g a controlling valve or gate J.

K is a discharge-passage, through which the contents of the tank may bedischarged wherever needed or desired. In the lower part of the tank isformed supplemental and preferably depressed chamber F, which is lowerthan themain portion of the tank and is adapted to contain a body ofwater sufficient for the purpose of producing the gas when necessary. Byemploying this depressed chamber the water in the main chamber willdrain into it and the main portion of the chamber will ordinarilybe dryand not subject to corrosion,which would occur it the water were left tostandin it all the time. This chamber sired by means of a discharge-pipeF, with a suitable controlling-cock.

In order to produce an explosive gas and to properly control itsproduction, I employ dry carbid of calcium, which may be discharged intothe water-chamber F when desired, and the dissolving of the carbid inthis water will produce a gas which, mixed with atmospheric air which iscontained in the tank, will become explosive, and this gas when the tankis properly charged may be exploded by an electric spark, open flame, acap or primer, or other suitable or well-known means.

In order to supply the carbid of calcium in measured charges and tocontrol its delivery into the tank, I have shown a containingreceptacleB, which is filled with the carbid of calcium. The lower end of thisreceptacle connects with a cylindrical chamber 0 by means of a suitableinlet-passage 0, formed in the cylindrical shell of the chamber 0. Thecontaining-chamber B has as its lower end a cylindrical sleeve which isturnable about the exterior of the chamber O,and when the chamber B isbrought in line vertically above the chamber 0 the opening and bottom ofthe chamber B will coincide with the openings 0 and will thus allow acharge of the carbid to fall into the chamber C. This chamber 0 is madeof such size that it will contain the necessary charge'ot' the carbid.At the bottom of the chamber G is a discharge-opening c, and in themovable shell, which is connected with the chamber B, is'a correspondingopening I), which is out of line with the opening 0 when the chamber Bstands in a vertical position to admit carbid into the chamberO; butwhen the chamber B is turned down into ahorizontal position thepassage 1) will be brought to coincide with the passage 0', previous towhich the passage 0 at the top will be closed by the unperforatedportion of the cylindrical sleeve, which is turnable with the chamber B.The chamber B having been turned into position to discharge the carbidthrough the passage 0 and b, the charge will pass downwardly through apipe D andwill fall upon a receiver or tray E, which is fnlcrumedbeneath the pipe D in such a position as to receive the charge of carbidand retainit until the operator desires to produce the gas within thetank, and when this is to be done the table E is tilted to dump thecharge, which falls directly into the chamber F at the bottom of thetank, this chamber being in line below the table.

The chamber 0 may be made with glazed ends, if desired, so that theinterior can be inspected and the operator be assured that the charge ofcarbid is properly placed within the chamber.

Various devices may be employed for tilting the table E and dischargingthe carbid therefrom. In the present case I have shown the table havinga link e formed on the lower side,'and a rod L, slidable through astuffingbox M in the end of the tank A, is provided with connectinglinks orlugs Z, which engage with the link 6, and thus enables the operator to tilt the table and discharge its contents at will.

N is a rod connecting with the upper part of the chamber B, having ahandle at its lower end, by which the operator may tilt the chamber B toeither a vertical position to charge the chamber 0 or into a horizontalposition to cut off communication between the two. In thehorizontalposition the chamber B is supported by a bracket, as shown at B;

The rod L, by which the table E is operated, has an open link or loop Lat the end, and the handle-rod N may be engaged with this link or loop,so that when the chamber B has been pulled down into a horizontalposition it is only necessary to pull outwardly the rod N to actuate therod L and tilt the table E.

L is a spring, of any well-known description, acting upon the rod L toretract it and through it bring the table E into a horizontal positionwhenever the pull upon the rod L is relieved, thus maintaining the tableE in po- I sition to receive a charge from the chamber G at all times.

when it is in the proper condition. I have here shown a hood 0 upon theexterior of the rank A or one of the openings H, and this hood isconnected with the interior of the tank by an opening P, which is closedby a valve Q. The valve is here shown as hung at an angle, so as toclose normally by gravitation, and it'has an extension Q in anessentially horizontal position, so as to be engaged by a verticalmovable rod or pin R, which is actuated by a lever S engaging thepushing opened communication with the tank 'the lamp T will be broughtinto line with the passage into the tank and will thus ignite the chargetherein and cause it to explode.

By use of carbid of calcium and the mechanism herein described forintroducing it and forming a gas and igniting the gas I have a verycontrollable and convenient method for producing vacuum in the tank tobe used wherever needed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vacuum suction-pump, the combination of a tank having inlet andoutlet openings and controlling valves or cocks, a chamber adapted tocontain carbid of calcium, having a sleeve at its lower end, acharge-measuring chamber upon which the sleeve of the carbid-chamber isturnable, said measuringchamber having inlet and outlet openings, meansfor moving the carbid-chamber into and out of line with theinlet-opening of the measuring-chamber and means for submerg ing thecharge within the tank to produce the gas.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a main vacuum-tank, anoscillatory containing-chamber, a chargemeasuring chamber interposedbetween the carbidchamber and the tank, means for opening communicationbetween the two chambers to admit a charge from the first to the second,a mechanism whereby the connection between the two chambers is closedand a communication between the ch'arge-chamber is opened, whereby thecharge is delivered into the tank, and a means for submerging the chargewithin the tank to produce the gas.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a main tank, acarbid-containing chamber and means for oscillating the same,acharge-measuring chamber interposed between the carbid-chamber and thetank, mechanism whereby the two chambers may be connected to deliver acharge from the first to the second chamber, mechanism by which Variousdevices may be employed for igniting the explosive gas within the tank Athe connection between the two is closed, and connection between thecharge-chamber and the tank is established whereby the charge isdelivered into the tank, a table or receiver within the tank upon'whichthe charge is received and means for submerging the charge in the tankto produce the gas.

4. In an apparatus of the character de-' "scribed, a main tank, acarbid-containing chamber and a charge-measuring chamber disposed withrelation to the main tank and to each other as shown, mechanism by whichthe chambers may be first connected to measure and charge and thecommunication between the chambers afterward cut off and communicationbetween the charge-chamber and the tank established, a tilting table orreceiver within the tank upon which the charge is received, a mechanismconnecting with the table whereby the latter may be tilted to deliverthe charge into the bottom of the tank, said tank provided with awater-chamber into which the carbid is deposited whereby the gas isproduced.

5. In an apparatus of. the character described, a main tank with carbidand charge measuring chambers connected therewith, a tiltable table orreceiver adapted to receive the charge from the measuring-chamber andretain it in the upper part of the tank, a mechanism by which saidreceiver may be tilted and discharged at will, and a supplementaldepressed chamber in the bottom of the tank adapted to contain a body ofwater sufficient to dissolve and gasify the charge, said chamber beingsituated in line beneath the tilting receiver.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a main tank, acarbid-containing and-a charge-measuring chamber connecting with eachother and with the tank, a mechanism by which the charge is deliveredfrom the first to the second chamber and from the second chamber intothe tank, a tilting receiver in the upper part of the tank upon whichthe charge is first delivered, a dissolving-chamber in the lower part ofthe tank in line beneath the tilting table, mechanism by which thecarbid is discharged from the table into the solution-chamber wherebygas is produced, and a controllable igniting device in the upper part ofthe chamber whereby the gas is ignited when in proper condition.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, a main tank, acarbid-containing and charge-measuring chambers connecting with eachother and with the tank as shown, a tilting reeeiverin the upper part ofthe tank adapted to receive the charge and a solutionchamber in thelower part of the tank into which it is dumped for the purpose ofproducing the gas, a supplemental chamber with a valve-openingconnecting with the upper part of the tank, an igniting-flame mountedupon a carrier, said carrier being connected with the valve whereby thelatter may be opened and the flamebrought simultaneously into line withthe opening, and a lever mechanism by which the device is actuated.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a main tank, acarbid-containing chamber having a cylindrical sleeve forming the basethereof, a cylindrical charge-chamber around which the sleeve isturnable, openings through the sleeve and the chamber whereby thecarbid-chamber is connected with the cl1arge-cha1nber when it standsvertically above the latter and is cut off therefrom, and acommunication opened between the charge-chamber and the tank when thesleeve of the carbid-chamber is rotated to turn in a horizontalposition, and a mechanism by whichthe carbid-chamber is moved to eithera vertical or horizontal position.

9. A vacuum-producing apparatus including a tank,having water inletandoutlet pipes, a mechanism to introduce a charge of carbid of calciuminto said tank,supplemental means for submerging said carbid of calciumto produce a resulting gas, and an igniting device for the gas. 1 v

10. A vacuu m-producing apparatus including a tank having water inletand outlet pipes and having a supplemental water-tank, a mechanism tointroduce a charge of carbid of calcium into said tank so that it issubmerged in the supplemental tank, to produce an explosive gas, andmeans for igniting said gas within the tank.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LUDWIG L. GROSS.

Witnesses:

WILLIE B. SIMPsoN, ALWIN WESKE, J r.

